Külügyi Szemle - A Teleki László Intézet Külpolitikai Tanulmányok Központja folyóirata - 2002 (1. évfolyam)
2002 / 4. szám - RÉSUMÉ - Dunay Pál: The Futility of Common European Security and Defence Policy: The Standpoint of EU Candidate Countries
Resumé Pal Dunay: The Futility of Common European Security and Defence Policy: The Standpoint of EU Candidate Countries The European Union will soon enlarge again. In difference to previous enlargements this time the number of accession countries is unprecedentedly high and the overwhelming majority has the same legacy. As they are without exception poorer than the EU average it is their expectation that joining will foster their economic development. Their accession strategy focuses primarily on the first pillar, the economic side of the activity of the EU. Small and medium size countries are going to join the EU, which have traditionally pursued a policy taker, rather than a policy maker role internationally. Thus alignment with the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) of the EU will not pose problem to them. There are three areas where their views may differ from the current members and thus enrich the foreign policy debates of the Union. Those are: f. Eventual differences between the position of the U. S. and the EU on some issues of world policy. 2. The assessment of Russian foreign policy. 3. Minority rights and the treatment of national minorities. The future members will go through a socialisation process that will make them understand the limits to realise their particular foreign policy interests. Whereas integration with CFSP will expectably be problem free the same cannot be taken for granted with respect of common European security and defence policy (CESDP). Although the candidates do not challenge the EU openly they are of the view that the codification of the so-called Petersberg tasks is certainly insufficient to take care of their security problem, which is not confined to international crisis management and the ability to project military power. The east-central European countries due to their size and historically based security deficit continue to attribute importance to individual and collective self-defence of their national territory. Hence, as long as the Atlantic Alliance, a collective defence organisation is a credible security provider they will tend to give priority to NATO. Beyond these considerations CESDP seems to have remained a largely inconclusive project without operational experience of conflict management. Hence the cautious attitude of the candidates to CESDP is well established. The current system of international relations will have to go through transformation in order the candidate countries would have reason to revise their position on the matter. 2002. tél 213
